


As We Grow.

by SeikoSei



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Mystic Messenger - Freeform, Yooran
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:33:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeikoSei/pseuds/SeikoSei
Summary: 7 years after Mint Eye is taken down, The RFA members have all grown and blossomed in their own way. Especially Yoosung Kim and Saeran Choi, who both have their own children. It's hard being a single parent, but one day a single parents support group opens new opportunities.





	1. The Flyer

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! And thank you for taking the time to check out my fic!
> 
> It's been so long since I've written one of these, so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty.
> 
> Anyway, this au idea has been swirling around in my head for a few days and I decided to finally get it written down.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. :3

Sunlight gently crept through the curtains of Saeran's bedroom. The light laid right on his closed eyes. His face scrunched up at the irritating feeling and sat up slowly. He glanced at his alarm clock, the time read 8:15 am.

Crap.

He was going to be late for work.

The redhead quickly bolted out of bed and put on the first thing he saw in his closet. Afterward, he ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and hair. Amongst all commotion, Saeran almost didn't notice the small redheaded child standing in the bathroom doorway. He rubbed his golden eyes with one hand and held onto a small purple stuffed lizard with the other hand. Saeran was just spitting out his mouthwash when the small child called out to him.

"Daddy...?"

"Guleum? Oh, good morning." He had almost forgotten to wake up his son for school. Well, he did forget, so he was glad Guleum got up on his own. Although he had custody of his son for a little over two years, he was still adjusting to living with another living human being and not just a bunch of plants, and now that his son was in school, his days grew more and more hectic. Not only did he have to manage a job and caring for a child, but he had to help Guleum with his homework and get him to and from school on time, which was never easy. Guleum was either late to school or the last kid waiting to be picked up. It always made Saeran feel awful, but he didn't feel like putting such a young child on a school bus was the safest idea.

"I'm hungry..." Guleum squeaked softly. "Can I have breakfast please?" He was still rubbing his eye, the sleepy expression on his face was still strong.

"I'm sorry, Guleum, but I'm a little busy. Can you just make some cereal, please?" Again, Saeran felt awful, but he didn't want to be late for work and he didn't want his son to be late to school again. "I promise I'll make you a great dinner tonight, okay?" He had also been working on his cooking skills for the past two years. He wasn't the best cook, but Guleum seemed to enjoy most of his dishes, and that's all the mattered to him.

The child seemed slightly disappointed but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, daddy." He let out a small yawn as he dragged his feet across the floor towards the kitchen, the lizard plushie was still in a tight grip. He grabbed a small step stool from the hallway closet and carried it to the kitchen. Guleum carefully placed it in front of a cabinet. After carefully getting onto the stool, he grabbed a box of cereal and hopped back down.

Saeran had watched the whole thing go down from the hallway. It pained him to see such a small child be so independent. Sometimes, he thought about hiring a babysitter to help out, but he didn't trust anyone but himself and his twin brother to look after Guleum. Saeran didn't want to bother Saeyoung with his parenting problems. Besides, Saeyoung had a wife and kids of his own. 

As his son prepared his food, Saeran went back to getting ready. He headed into Guleum's bedroom and picked up his unzipped backpack. A red folder stuffed full of papers was sticking out of it. Saeran grabbed the folder and skimmed through it, taking out all of the flyers sent home from the school to the parents. As he read the flyers, he spoke aloud. 

"Soccer tryouts, bakesale? Oh, geez...talent show, upcoming PTA meetings....huh?" Among the papers was a bright yellow paper with 'Single Parent Support Group' printed on it with big and bold letters. Saeran wondered if the staff sent this home with all of the students or only to the ones with only one parent. The redhead continued to read the paper. It said that there was a going to be a meeting later that day and children were more than welcomed.

He wasn't sure why, but he was seriously considering attending, just to see what it was all about. Maybe Gulemi would get the chance to socialize with other kids as well since he was a very shy and quiet child.

Saeran threw away the flyers he didn't need and took the rest out to the kitchen, where he sat them on the table. Guleum already had on his shoes and was waiting by the front door. Saeran gave him a smile and handed him his backpack. The small child put his stuffed lizard in the backpack and zipped it up. 

"I'm ready for school." He said softly. Guleum was never an outspoken child, he was never the first to raise his hand, and he was never the first to put himself out there. He was a silent child and in some ways, he reminded Saeran of himself during his childhood....but only in a few ways.

The two left the house and got into their car, Saeran in the driver's seat and Guleum in the seat behind him. As Saeran buckled his seat belt he remembered that he didn't pack Guleum a lunch. He quickly whipped his wallet out and handed some money to his child.

"Is school lunch okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, today is pizza day I think." His child responded and he took the money. "Thank you."

Saeran turned back to the front of the car and his eyes fell onto the clock.

8:49 pm

"Shit...shit." He mumbled to himself and turned the car on. He knew there was no way he'd get Guleum to school on time, but he was going to at least try.

**********

"Yun! Breakfast is ready!" Yoosung called from the kitchen. A small girl was on the couch in the living room, playing video games.

"Okay, Daddy!" The girl said as she powered the system down. She placed the controller on a shelf that was piled with games, controllers, and gaming accessories. Some belonged to her and some belonged to Yoosung.

Yun skipped to the kitchen and hopped into her chair. The sweet scent of a good meal filled her nose right away and she was visibly excited.

"Watcha cookin'?" She asked with a big smile on her face.

"Toast with egg and luncheon meat!" Yoosung exclaimed, the same goofy smile on his face. Just by the smile alone, it would be easy to tell that they were related, that and the similar violet eyes that they shared.

Yoosung placed a plate with the food in front of his daughter and her eyes lit up like stars. She always adored her father's meals almost as much as she adored him. Yun thanked him and began to dig into her meal. It always made Yoosung happy to see her so thrilled.

As she ate, Yun looked up at her dad while he grabbed his own plate and sat down. "Daddy? Can we go visit auntie Rika after school?" Technically, Rika was Yun's first cousin once removed, but she was used to addressing her as her aunt.

"Ah, not today, buttercup. We're going to that new school club today, remember?" Yoosung reminded her as he pointed to the big yellow flyer stuck to their fridge with a Lolol magnet. It was for a single parents support group and children were allowed to attend. 

"Ooooooh. I forgot." Yun admitted. "Maybe I'll see other kids from different classes there!"

"I'm sure you will, Yun. So make sure to eat all of your breakfast. We have a big day ahead of us and we'll need our energy."

Yun was already done eating before Yoosung finished his sentence. Although some of her food was on her face, Yoosung couldn't help but laugh. She was a messy eater since birth. Yoosung leaned forward and used his napkin to clean the child's face.

"Okay, Yun. Go get your backpack and shoes, okay?"

"Okay!" She got up and ran out of the room. Yoosung knew he would have plenty of time to do the dishes and finish getting ready since Yun always insisted that she would put on and tie her own shoes, even though it was difficult for her and took her a while.

Once Yoosung finished cleaning, drying, and putting the dishes away he grabbed the flyer from the fridge and put it in his pocket for safe keeping. He made his way to the living room and found Yun rolling around on the floor trying to tie her other shoe.

"Uh...Yun?" He called out to the girl.

"No! No!" She squeaked. "I.......got it!" She stood up and proudly presented her tied shoes to her father.

Yoosung smiled at her brightly. "Good job! I knew you could do it. Now, are you ready to go to school?"

"Yeah yeah!"

"Do you get your backpack?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you grabbed your umbrella?"

"Yeah!"

"Do you have your homework with you?"

"Ye-....wait....no...I'll go grab it!" Yun turned on her heels and dashed off to her bedroom and soon returned with a piece of paper. "Now I have it!"

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle. "Good, but make sure you have it before we're about to walk out the door next time." Yoosung opened the door and led Yun out to the car. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.

"C'mon Daddy! We're gonna be late for school!" Yun called out.

Yoosung shook his head a little and laughed. "We won't be late, I promise." He got into the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt before starting the car. "Ready kiddo?"

Yun nodded and Yoosung pulled out of the driveway and down the street in the direction of the elementary school.

Once they arrived, Yun leaped out of the car and stood on the sidewalk. "Bye!" She chirped.

"Are you sure you don't need me to walk you to your class?" Yoosung asked her. "It'll only take a moment."

"No way! I'm a big girl, I can do it all by myself!"

"Alright....I gave you money for lunch, right? I know you love pizza day."

"Yep! It's in my backpack!"

"Okay, okay. I'll be back after work."

"Okay! Have fun taking care of the cute puppies and kitties!" And with that, Yun twirled around and ran into the school building.

Yoosung let out a sigh as he watched the small brunette girl vanish from his point of view. "Gah, they grow up so fast...too fast."

As he thought to himself, lost in thought, someone caught his eye. It was a man and his child quickly heading for the school. They both had bright red hair. Was that Saeran Choi? Yoosung couldn't see the man's face, so he wasn't sure if it was him or not. Yoosung hadn't seen Saeyoung's twin in god knows how long. Did his child go to the same school as Yun? Well, he must've if Saeran was going into the building. 

Yoosung quickly cleared his thoughts and pulled his car away from the school. He would make a note to ask Saeyoung about Saeran later on in the day.

And he was actually excited to go the single parent meeting after his shift.

"This will be goo...for me and for Yun." he whispered to himself.

"Good for us both."


	2. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hectic day, it's finally time for Yoosung to attend the support group for single parents. But once he arrives, it seems like he is the only father there...or is he?

Yoosung's day was nothing short of busy. The vet clinic was extremely packed. Yoosung couldn't remember the last time he had so many clients come in. Thankfully, most of those were just for checkups and minor issues. Once it was time for him to leave, Yoosung made a beeline for the exit. He was so focused on getting to Yun, who he missed dearly, that he almost forgot to say goodbye to the receptionist at the front desk.

The blonde got into his car and quickly fastened his seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot and drove down the road. He was excited about the support group, but he was more excited to see Yun. It had been such a long and hard day at work, but seeing the sweet smile on his little angel's face made it all worth wild. Traffic was also exhausting, but after a bit, Yoosung had finally arrived at the elementary school.

Most of the cars were pulling out of the parking lot, so Yoosung was able to find a good spot towards the front so he didn't have to walk so far from his car to the entrance of the school. He pulled the bright yellow flyer out of his pocket and read it over one last time. It said that the meeting was to be held at the gym, so that was where Yoosung headed to.

Soon he arrived at two giant doors. Thanks to the sign next to it, Yoosung was certain that this was the school's gym. He pushed one of the doors opened and stepped inside. What he saw instantly put a goofy smile on his face.

There were buckets of toys littered around the room and children pulling those toys out and playing with them. Each tote had a class number written on them indicating that they were possibly donated by various teachers for the group to use for the time being. Yoosung was quite surprised at the number of single parents that were present. From a quick scan of the room, it seemed like the blonde was the only father there. He felt a little odd being the only guy in the group, but that feeling quickly faded when a small brunette child with bright violet eyes caught his attention.

"Yun!"

"Daddy!" She had been playing with monster trucks with two boys, but as soon as she saw her dad, Yun got up and dashed over to him. She immediately tackled Yoosung into a hug, and Yoosung happily returned it.

"Hey, kiddo. How was school today? Did you learn a lot?"

"Mmmhmmm! I learned how to spell a lot of words today!"

"Really? Can you write them out for me when we get home? I'd love to see them all."

"Yeah!" Yun tilted her head back towards the other children she was previously playing with. 

"How about you go play and I'll go meet the other adults?" Yoosung noticed her staring and didn't want to interrupt her socializing. 

Yun nodded and tugged on Yoosung shirt. It was a thing she had done since she was a toddler and he knew exactly what to do. He knelt down so that Yun could kiss his cheek and then she ran off to go play with the other kids. He smiled at the sight of her playing and then proceeded to the middle of the gym where all of the other adults were. Many metal folding chairs were placed around in a circle along with more chairs folded up and placed against the wall in case more parents showed up. Most of the parents were standing in the middle of the circle of chairs and idly chatted with one another, so Yoosung stood a few feet away from them all.

One woman noticed Yoosung and whispered something to the group. They tried to be discreet about it, but Yoosung could clearly see them looking at him and whispering to each other. He tried his best to pretend not to notice, so he began to glance around the gym. As he did he couldn't help but notice a small boy all by himself. He had red hair, which already made him stand out. He also had bright golden eyes. The child sat in the corner and was holding a small purple lizard plushie close to him. Yoosung couldn't help but think that the child looked very familiar. He tried to recall where he saw the kid, but before he could, a voice rang out.

"Alright parents! Please have a seat." A short woman with long black hair stepped out from the group of mothers. "I'm very excited to meet you all."

Yoosung, along with the other parents, sat down in the chairs and listened to the woman's speech.

"I'm so happy with today's turnout!" She said as he loudly clapped her hands together. "My name is Ms. Unji, I'm a 5th-grade teacher here at the school, but you can all call me Kyo." She remained standing up as everyone sat down. "I too am a single parent, and I really think this support group will be a great place for us to gather and talk and help each other out. I was just absolutely thrilled when the school board approved this idea!" As she went on with her speech, she had a huge grin on her face. Yoosung couldn't help but feel like it was forced.

About 5 minutes into Kyo's speech, the gym door suddenly slammed open, gaining the attention of both the parents and the children.

In the doorway stood a male with red hair and mint colored eyes. He was sweating quite a bit and was out of breath.

"S-sorry...I'm late..." He muttered out after a few moments.

Everyone seemed a bit surprised by this.

"Oh, it's no problem at all..." Kyo said rather slowly, her forced smile was now gone.

The man walked over to the red headed child Yoosung noticed earlier. The two hugged and talked for a moment before the man walked over to the rest of the adults. He grabbed a chair that was leaning against the wall and dragged it to the group before he unfolded it and sat down.

Yoosung's gazed was fixed on him. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but at the same time, he knew that couldn't be true. Yoosung's whole day had been busy as usual, so he wasn't able to get a hold of Saeyoung to ask him about his twin's whereabouts. He called a few times when he had the chance but didn't leave any voicemails or texts. For some reason, the two were never free at the same time.

But he didn't have to ask anymore.

There was no doubt in Yoosung's mind.

That man was Saeran Choi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for another short chapter. ;;


	3. The Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the circle of parents to introduce themselves to the rest of the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so so sorry that this is late! I didn't mean to push this off for so long! I hope you all enjoy it!

After what seemed liked forever, everyone stopped staring at Saeran and Kyo went back to her long and boring introduction speech. Yoosung tried as hard as he could to make it not seem like he was staring at Saeran, but he couldn't help it. He'd look at Kyo and acted like he was listening and then quickly dart his eyes over to Saeran.

His red hair was messy, but it looked good. His style seemed to change a little over the years, but it also seemed familiar. Yoosung still couldn't believe that Saeran was here, in the same room as him. It felt unreal. He blinked hard a few times and looked back at him.

Yep, that's Saeran. 

Even if it was hard to tell, the mint eyes gave him away. He was the only one Yoosung ever met with that eye color. 

From the looks of it, Saeran hadn't noticed Yoosung. He had his eyes on Kyo and listened to her speech. He looked bored out of his mind, it was a look Yoosung grew accustomed to. Saeran had his elbow resting on his leg and his chin resting on his hand with his eyes half lidded. Yep, that was the look.

Once Kyo finished her speech, she suggested that every parent should tell a little about themselves and their children. She asked for a volunteer and a brunette woman shot her hand into the air and waved it quickly. At least someone was enthusiastic. After hearing from a few people, Kyo asked Saeran if he could tell the group about himself. He looked completely disinterested, but since he was late maybe he felt obligated to participate. He didn't change his position as he spoke to the circle of parents. 

"My name is Saeran Choi. I'm 28 years old and my son is Guleum." He stayed silent for a moment. Yoosung thought maybe he was trying to pick his next words carefully. But why? 

"I've had custody of Guleum for the past 2 years. His mom and I......don't get along very well and after some...events...Guleum came to live with me. It's hard, but we make it work."

Yoosung felt like a million questions were just answered. _That's why he left._ It made sense now.

Kyo thanked Saeran for sharing and peered around the room for someone else who hadn't talked yet. Her eyes fell onto Yoosung and she smiled. "Would you like to share sir?"

Yoosung shifted in his seat, everyone looked at him, expect for Saeran. 

"Uh...sure. M-my name is Yoosung Kim." Saeran's eyes darted to Yoosung as soon as those words left his mouth. His mint eyes grew wide and he looked at Yoosung as if he was looking at an alien.

Yoosung noticed and tried not to fumble over his words. "I'm 27 and Yun is my daughter. I've had her since she was born. Things didn't work out between her mom and I and I got custody."

"Thank you for sharing Mr.Kim." Kyo said before turning back to the rest of the group.

Saeran kept staring at Yoosung, he didn't even try to be discreet about it. Yoosung felt awkward but gave a small and friendly smile while waving.

And to his surprise...

Saeran waved back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has said nice things about this fic. It's very motivating and I will try to get chapters out more frequently.


	4. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the meeting over, Yoosung is determined to find Saeran in the crowd of people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt so bad for not writing in so long so I went ahead and wrote another chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!

The rest of the meeting felt like it was dragging on for years. Yoosung desperately wanted to talk to Saeran, it had been so long since the last time they spoke. He still couldn't believe it had been 2 years since Saeran just...vanished. He stopped texting everyone, he stopped logging into the RFA chatroom, he stopped showing up at the parties. It was liked he fell off the face of the earth. Everyone was worried about him, but Saeyoung assured everyone that Saeran was doing fine, but that's all he said about it.

"Wow! This has been so super fun! Thanks to each and every one of you for coming and I hope to see you all next week!" Kyo chirped happily.

All at once, the parents got up and went to collect their children. Yoosung quickly made his way to Yun and then began to look for Saeran, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

_He must be heading to the parking lot, right?_

Yun held on tightly to Yoosung's hand as she skipped down the hallway, telling him all about the game of Pirates vs. Dinosaurs she played with the other kids. Yoosung smiled and ask if she had gotten any good treasure on her pirate adventures, but she quickly corrected him and said she was a rainbow colored T-Rex and ate about 40 pirates.

Soon they made it out of the school and to the parking lot. Yoosung had no idea which car was Saeran's car. As he scanned the parking lot when he spotted a red head at the playground with a small boy. Yes, that was Saeran! It had to be!

"Hey Yun, do you wanna go play on the playground for a little bit?"

"Yea- What about dinner?" As much fun as the playground was, Yun loved helping her dad make dinner.

"We could get pizza afterward."

"Pizza Hat?"

"I don't see why not."

Yun quickly dragged Yoosung throughout the parking until they reached the grass, once they did, Yun let go of his hand and ran to the swings while screaming Pizza Hat the entire way there.

Yoosung made his way to the bench Saeran was sitting at, it seemed that Saeran didn't notice him until Yoosung spoke up.

"Saeran?"

The red head quickly turned his head towards the voice. He seemed surprised, but not as much as earlier. "Hey. Long time no see." He patted the spot next to him and Yoosung sat down happily.

"It's so great to see you again, Saeran."

"It's nice to see you too."

"I'm surprised to see you at the school, I didn't even know you had a kid. You never said anything."

"Well, like I said in the gym, I didn't have custody until 2 years ago. I guess I just didn't feel the need to talk about him."

"He's why you left?"

"Yeah.......is that bad?"

"No, no. Of course not. You needed to take care of your son."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I grew so distant..."

"Hey," Yoosung placed a hand on Saeran's shoulder. "It's really okay."

Saeran smiled. It felt so nice to see Yoosung again. It might have only been 2 years, but it felt like a lifetime.

"You know what?" Yoosung said. "We should totally hang out. It would be nice for the kids too."

"Really? Yeah. When's a good time?"

"Uh...now-ish? Yun and I were going to Pizza Hat after this, you and Guleum can come with us."

This was a major relief to Saeran, now he didn't have to try and fail at making dinner.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds good."

The two watched their children play and made small talk. It felt so nice to them both. It felt so great to catch up.

But neither of them knew when to bring up a certain something.

After half an hour, the both of them stood up and called for their kids. Yun came running in quickly and hugged her dad while Guleum carefully walked to Saeran while clingy to his stuffed lizard.

"Hi sweetie, did you have fun?" Yoosung asked Yun.

"Yeah! Gule and I went down the slide a lot."

"Gule?" Asked Saeran. "Do you guys already know each other?"

"Yeah! We're in the same grade, but different classes, but we have recess and lunch together." Yun beamed. "He's the kid that sits on the steps during recess."

This wasn't much of a shock to Saeran, but it hurt him nonetheless. Guleum kept his eyes glued to the ground, hugging his lizard even tighter.

Yoosung felt a little awkward now and wasn't sure what to say.

"Anyway...Guleum, Yun's dad has invited us to go to Pizza Hat. How does that sound?" Saeran asked.

"Yes please." Guleum squeaked. He was so soft spoken that Yoosung almost didn't hear him.

"Really? Yay! I get to go to Pizza Hat with Gule!" Yun cheered and began to tug on Yoosung's hand. 

He smiled and began to walk to his car, Saeran and Guleum followed. Everyone got into their own cars, left the parking lot and made their way to Pizza Hat.


	5. Pizza Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saeran and Yoosung take their children to Pizza Hat for dinner and a fun time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again with an update! I really need to get these out more frequently. Sorry for the delay.

After the car ride, Saeran and Yoosung parked their cars next to one another in the parking lot. Once the car was at a complete stop, Yun swung the car door and opened and began to swing her feet and cheer about Pizza Hat. 

Saeran stepped out of the car and led Guleum out. The four of them met in front of Saeran's car and then headed to the building. Yun could see the ball pit and the slide inside the building and began to jump up and down. "We gotta go faster!" She began to lean forward which caused Yoosung to walk faster. He couldn't help but laugh. "Slow down, Yun."

"It's fine," Saeran said emotionlessly, he made sure to hold onto Guleum's hand tightly, just in case.

Once they made it across the parking lot and in front of the pizza place, Yoosung let go of Yun's hand and allowed her to run up to the double doors and push them open. Yun was instantly struck with massive excitement when she saw what laid before her. A giant ball pit, arcade games, skeeball, whack-a-mole, and a giant tunnel that went up to the ceiling with slides all around. This was truly a child's dream.

"If you want, you and Guleum can go play while we go get a table and order some food...Oh, is that okay, Saeran?"

Saeran nodded and slowly let go of Guleum's hand. "Yeah, just don't get into trouble and stay where I can see you, okay?"

The small boy nodded up at his dad and turned to Yun, who took hold of his hand and ran off towards the ball pit.

"...He won't get pink eye, right?" Saeran looked pretty concerned, but he tried to his best to hide it, which failed.

"What? Nah, they clean the ball pit regularly. I don't think anyone has ever gotten pink eye here."

"Oh...alright then."

"What table should we sit at? Yun and I come here all the time, so I'll let you pick?"

"You guys come here a lot? Yun must really love this place."

"She does! But uh...I do too. Sometimes I play the arcade games and win tons of tickets. Last time we came here, I took home two big stuffed animals and a giant foam finger."

"Wow, you're still a total dork, you know?"

Yoosung let out a laugh and showed off that same goofy smile. "Yeah, I know."

Saeran looked around the pizza place until he saw Guleum and Yun. He pointed to a table near them. "Is there okay? I could always pick somewhere else."

"No, no! That table has a good view of most of the place, so that's good!" He and Saeran walked over and sat down, placing their coats and their children's coats under the table.

Yun was crawling up a net that was attached to the floor and part of the tunnel. She crawled up into the tube and waved to Guleum and called out to him. "See? It's not that hard! C'mon!"

Guleum was clinging to his stuffed lizard. His eyes traveled from the bottom of the net to Yun, back to the bottom. "Is this...safe?"

"Yeah? I do this all the time! It makes you feel like a monkey! Try it out!"

Guleum used one hand to grasp the net and then looked up back at Yun.

"Is that safe? Please tell me that's safe." Saeran asked while staring at his son.

"Yeah, don't worry. He'll be fine. It's great exercise!"

Guleum clung to the net before stepping back down. "I-I can't do it." He felt disappointed in himself.

"That's because your other hand is holding your stuffed animal! I'll hold onto him while you climb up." Yun held her hands out, ready to catch.

Guleum took a step back and looked back up. "Um...I like when Henry stays with me...sorry."

"Oh.....that's okay!"

"I'll just use the platforms." The small redhead walked over to a small section with climbable platforms, all covered in colorful fabric surrounded by netting for safety. He used one hand to climb his way up. Guleum wasn't a very strong child, so it was very difficult for him.

Yoosung, who had been talking the whole time, finally noticed that Saeran wasn't listening at all, his eyes were glued to Guleum and what he was doing.

"Saeran? Hey...he's fine. This place is totally safe."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry." Saeran quickly snapped out of it and turned his head back to Yoosung.

"You know, I didn't pin you for an overprotective parent." Yoosung didn't mean to sound rude.

"I never pinned myself to be a parent at all, but here I am."

"Oh yeah, how did that happen? I mean. if it's okay that I ask."

Saeran sighed and rolled his eyes, not at Yoosung, but at the thought of Guleum's mother. He placed his elbow on the table and his head in his hand, he had the same facial expression as when they were at the school gym.

"That bitch? Well, after....you know...I was a little lost, I guess. And I met this girl. She was a cool friend and we were drinking buddies. Well, one night I got a little too drunk and ended up making a huge mistake. I tried to my best to block it from my memory, but I ended up getting a text from her saying she was pregnant and that it was mine..."

"Geez...that's heavy." Yoosung mentally smacked himself for being painfully obvious.

"Yeah. I was in denial for the longest time. I was mad, not at her, well...maybe a little bit, but mostly at myself. I freaked out and said I wanted a DNA test as soon as the baby was born. That pissed her off, but at that point, I didn't care." Saeran took a deep breath and began to rub the back of his neck. "After Guleum was born, she gave me an ultimatum, pay child support, or let her live with me. I ended up picking the first one, and she and Guleum just... vanished."

Yoosung blinked a few times as he tried to process what he was hearing. Maybe asking about this at a pizza place wasn't the best idea, but now he was so curious, he craved answers. "So...how did you end up with Guleum?"

"Well, I hadn't had much contact with Guleum. I saw him maybe once or twice and talked to him on the phone once in a blue moon. But one day...two years ago, I got a call from child protective services..."

Yoosung began to internally panic. This got heavy very fast. 

"U-Uh..." Yoosung felt bad for cutting Saeran off, but doing this in a public place felt so weird.

"Huh...oh, sorry. Guess I got carried away."

"It's okay! Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. If you want, we can talk about it later in a more private place." He said was a reassuring smile.

Saeran nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea.....thank you, Yoosung."

Yoosung awkwardly stood up and looked over at the food counter. "I'll go order our food, is there anything in particular that you wanted?"

"Uh....Koka Kola for me...and do they have chicken nuggets? Guleum loves those."

"Yeah, they do. I'll go order." He turned and walked to the counter as Saeran watched them go before turning back to Guleum, who had finally made it to the tube, with the help of Yun pulling him up.

Saeran let out a sigh and laid his head down on the table. Why did he have to spew all of that at Yoosung at a time like this? At a place like this.

"Fucking fuck." He whispered to himself.


	6. Dinner at Pizza Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saeran, Yoosung, Yun, and Guleum sit down for a pizza dinner.

Yun pulled Guleum up by his free hand and smiled. "See? That was fun, right?"

The little redhead nodded and looked out the tube window. "We're....really high up....is this...safe?" They weren't _that_ high up, but to him, they might as well be on top of the tallest building in South Korea.

Yun sat next to him and pressed her hands against the window. "You don't have to be scared up here, ya know. My dad says that there are special tube people who always make sure that these will never break."

Guleum raised an eyebrow and looked at Yun. "Speical tube people? How come I've never seen them?"

"They don't come all the time, but when they do they spend allllll day checking the tubes to make sure they're safe."

"Are you sure they're real?"

"Of course I am!"

"Hmmm...alright."

"Let's go down the twisty slide! That's my favorite slide!" Yun began to crawl further down the tube and Guleum sat there for a moment and watched her go. After giving Henry a tight squeeze, he crawled after her. It was a bit hard to do with one free hand, but he managed.

Meanwhile, Yoosung was walking back to the table with drinks in his hands. It was hard to carry four drinks, but he managed to keep them all in a safe 'hug.' Saeran lifted his head from the table. "Thanks. I'll pay you back la-"

He was cut off from a serious look from Yoosung. "Don't worry about that. We both know I won't let you anyway." 

Saeran nodded. Back during....those times, Yoosung would never let Saeran pay for anything, even if it was Saeran's idea. It was sweet, but also made Saeran feel guilty at times.

"Should I call for the kids?" Saeran asked.

"If you want to. The food won't be ready for a few minutes, but they might be thirsty."

Saeran turned his head and looked around the play area, he didn't see the kids anywhere, which made a knot form in his stomach. He was worried about Yun a little, but she seemed like a very capable little girl, but Guleum was so small and fragile...

"Do you seem them?" Saeran's voice was a bit weak.

"Um.....Oh! There they are." Yoosung said and pointed over to the twisty slide. Yun and Guleum had gone down together. Guleum was in front and Yun was behind him with her legs at his sides. Yoosung waved to them and Yun waved back. She and Guleum got off the slide and made their way to the table.

"You two looked like you were having fun!" Yoosung chirped as he handed Yun her drink as she sat beside him.

Yun swung her feet as she was sitting, but not too far so she wouldn't kick Saeran. "Yeah! Guleum was a little scared, but I helped him!" She looked like she was beaming with pride.

"Yeah...thanks." Guleum meant it, but he stayed soft spoken and expressionless. He reached for his drink and thanked Yoosung before taking a sip.

Saeran just watched both Yun and Guleum. They were so opposite, and yet they seemed to get along. It made him happy. Guleum's teacher had expressed concern and said Guleum always sat alone at lunch and played alone at recess and said he should try to be more social. This counted, right?

Yoosung gently poked Yun's cheek before he heard their order number get called. "That's the food! I'll be right back." 

As he left, Saeran put his full attention on Yun. He wondered if Yoosung was that energetic and upbeat as a kid....most likely.

"So, Yun. Hows...stuff at home?" He didn't mean to sound so weird, he just wanted the silence to go away.

"It's so fun! Me and Dad play video games and he tells me about all the cute animals he helps at work!"

"Oh? That sounds very fun."

"What do you and Guleum do at home?"

Saeran fell silent. At home, not many words were spoken between Guleum and him. They were both people of very little words, so when alone together most of the time at home was filled with silence. 

Luckily, Yoosung came back with food before Saeran had to answer. He set a box of pizza down and four plates. Three were empty and one had chicken nuggets on it.

"Thank you, sir." Guleum said quietly as he accepted the food.

Saeran internally flinched at that and spoke softly. "You can call him Mr. Kim if you want to."

"Or you can call me Yoosung, I don't mind." Yoosung added.

"Okay, Mr. Yoosung." Guleum nodded before slowly taking a bite of a chicken nugget.

"So can I call you Mr. Saeran?" Yun asked, pizza sauce all over her face already.

"Sure, I guess." It was better than Mr. Choi or Sir, plus it didn't make him feel so old.

Yun finished her food first and Guleum finished last. Once they were done they went back to the play area. Saeran and Yoosung began tidying up the little mess they left behind.

"They sure get along well." Yoosung said.

Saeran nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad."

"It got me thinking, Yun is going to spend her Saturday at my mother's place. Maybe she could take Guleum with her."

Saeran looked up from what he was cleaning. "Really?" He never had anyone else watch Guleum before... "I'd hate to dump another kid on her."

"Oh god, she'd be in heaven. She loves kids so much. Plus, we'd get the chance to hang out."

Saeran thought for a moment. "Oh...alright. But if we do anything that requires money, I'm paying."

"Okay, okay, deal."

"Good...I'll go throw all these plates out." Saeran grabbed the trash and walked off to a trashcan. Yoosung couldn't see, but he had a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so this fic rises from the dead like a zombie. I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry that I left this alone for so long. I've just a slump where I had no motivation. Thankfully Yooran Week swooped in and saved me. Day 4 is AU day so....here we are.
> 
> I'm gonna try to be more frequent with updates on all my ongoing fics (She said for the third or fourth time...)


	7. Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saeran and Yoosung drop the kids off at Yoosung's mother's house and spend the day together, just like they used to....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry to anyone who read this as soon as it was posted! I didn't have time to add a chapter name or proofread everything because my laptop was about to die and I couldn't charge it.

Saeran made sure to wake up early Saturday morning. Yoosung said he would text Saeran when he was on his way to pick them up to go to his mother's house, so Saeran wanted to be ready. After rolling out of bed, he got dressed in a navy blue t-shirt and black jeans. He felt a little odd in the outfit, like he was too old for it. But at the same time he felt fine with it, he still dressed like this often. Hopefully, Yoosung would like it.

After Saeran got ready, he quietly made his way to Guleum's room and peeked inside. His son was curled up in his blanket while holding his stuffed lizard, Henry, close to him. Saeran smiled to himself as he gently shut the door back and headed to the kitchen.

Saeran couldn't remember the last time he cooked, he and Guleum always just had toast or cereal for breakfast, but today Saeran made them both a bowl of rice and some kimchi. It was fun to cook, but he knew his kimchi would never taste as good as Yoosung's. It had been a while since Saeran had tried Yoosung's cooking. Maybe, just maybe, he would allow himself to be selfish and ask Yoosung to cook for him later when they were able to hang out. Hanging out with Yoosung... it was something Saeran had thought about for a couple of years. He missed those old times, he couldn't help but reminisce about those days. Those were simpler times.

As he was lost in thought, Guleum wandered into the kitchen, Henry right by his side as usual.

"Dad...? What's going on? It smells....nice in here." The small child mumbled as he waddled to the kitchen table.

"Oh, hey. I'm just making breakfast for us. I'm almost done." Saeran said casually.

Guleum sat Henry on the table and gently patted his head. "What are you making?"

"Kimchi and side of rice."

"I like kimchi."

Saeran did his best to keep up a conversation with Guleum. It was nice to have a real meal with real conversation. After they were done eating, Saeran stood up and grabbed their plates. 

"While I'll wash these, you should go get dressed. Yoosung is picking us up and taking us to Yun's grandmother's house."

"I know, I'll be back." Guleum said before taking Henry and walking back into his bedroom.

Saeran nodded and began to wash the dishes as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly wiped his hands on a towel before grabbing it. It was a call from Yoosung. Saeran's heart raced a bit before he accepted the call. 

"Hey..." He said quietly.

"Hey, Saeran! We're on our way to come get you guys, is that okay?"

"Yeah, Guleum is getting ready right now so we'll be ready when you get here."

"Great! Gah, I can't wait to see you."

"We just saw each other a few days ago..." Not that he was complaining about Yoosung's feelings.

"I know, but I'm excited to hang out without the kids for a change."

"Yeah...but I'm still a little...nevermind. See ya soon." After he hung up, Saeran finished the dishes and walked out into the living room. Guleum came out of his room all dressed with Henry and a backpack.

"What's the backpack for?" Saeran asked.

"It has some toys and storybooks that I thought Yun and I could play with."

"Oh? I'm sure she'll like that. They'll be here soon to pick us up, so let's watch tv while we wait."

"Okay." Guleum said bluntly before sitting next to his dad on the couch. They watched cartoons for around 15 minutes before they heard a knock on the door.

"That must be them. Are you ready to go?" Saeran asked. Guleum simply nodded and they stood up and walked over to the front door. As expected, Yoosung was on the other side and Yun was in the backseat of the car, bouncing up and down excitedly. 

"Come on!" She cheered. "The sooner we go to sooner we'll get to grandma's house!" Guleum walked to the car and got into the back with Yun, who instantly began to chat him up.

"She's been so excited all day today and all day yesterday." Yoosung chuckled softly.

"Guleum doesn't talk much, but I could tell he was excited to go, he seems to open up to Yun easily." Saeran replied.

"Awwww. That's so cute!"

"Oh god, don't get cheesy on me." Saeran laughed a bit. "Let's just go." The two walked to the car and got in.

"Everyone buckled up?" Yoosung asked.

"Yeah!" Yun squeaked.

"Yes, sir." Guleum said emotionlessly.

Yoosung started the car and drove towards the direction of his mother's house. It was on the other side of town, but he was hoping it wouldn't take too long. Yes, he loved Yun dearly, but he was so excited to spend some alone time with Saeran like he used to do. He wanted to take Saeran out to a restaurant, but he remembered Saeran said he would pay for the next meal they had, no exceptions. Yoosung thought about making food for them at his place but wasn't sure if Saeran would realize if it was a way for Yoosung to avoid having Saeran pay for their food. 

Before he knew it, he was at his mother's house. Maybe being lost in thought had its perks. Once Yoosung parked, Yun jumped out of the car and ran onto the lawn. Yoosung's mother opened her front door. When she saw Yun, she scooped her up and hugged her tight. Yoosung got out of the car and walked over to his mother, while Saeran and Guleum slowly and cautiously got out of the car. When Yoosung's mom saw Guleum, she let out a happy shriek, which startled the little redhead.

"Oh! He's so cute!" Yoosung's mother said before patting his head softly. "He looks just like you, Saeran."

Saeran was caught off guard, he had only met Yoosung's mother a few times years ago, and yet she remembered him. She had more gray hairs and wrinkles since the last he saw her, but she still seemed as soft and gentle as ever, it was a no-brainer who Yoosung got those traits from.

"Uh... thank you, ma'am." Saeran said quietly. 

"I'm so excited to spend the day with both of them. I have so much planned! We'll play board games, color, bake cookies, watch cartoons. It'll be a lot of fun."

"I can't wait!" Yun cheered.

"That sounds fun." Guleum said softly.

"If you need anything, just give me a call." Yoosung said.

"Oh, we'll be fine. You two enjoy your day off from parenting!" Yoosung's mother said.

Yoosung and Saeran said goodbye to the kids and watched as they went into the house.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine." Yoosung said as they walked to the car.

"I know, I'm not worried anymore. Your mom is really nice." Saeran replied.

"She loves having Yun over, I guess it reminds her of when my sister and I were kids. I'm sure I'll be the same way when Yun has kids of her own."

Just the thought of being a grandparent made Saeran dizzy. As they got into the car, Yoosung turned to look at Saeran. 

"Okay! So we have the whole day to ourselves, what should we do first?" He asked.

Saeran thought for a moment. He was finally able to spend the day alone with Yoosung like they used to do. He wasn't sure if he should suggest things they used to do or new things.

"Do you wanna go...get a burger? Like we used to...?" Saeran finally asked.

A big, goofy smile formed on Yoosung's face. "Yeah! That sounds great!"

"But, I'm paying this time, remember that."

"I know, I know. But that means I get to pay next time."

"Damn...okay." But despite what he said, Saeran was blushing lightly. There was going to be a next time?

Once they arrived at the Burger Queen they used to go to, Saeran felt nostalgia flow through him.

"I wonder if our old table is empty." Yoosung said as they walked through the parking lot to the building.

"If our table is even there anymore. Who knows, they could've remodeled or replaced the tables since the last time we came here." 

Once they got inside, they saw that it looked the same. "Our table is open, can you go sit there while I order?" Saeran asked.

Yoosung nodded and walked over to the table and sat down. He wondered if it was the same or if it was replaced like Saeran said. He peeked under the table and saw a drawing of a cloud that had the letter S in it and a star that had the letter Y carved into it. Yep, this was their old table. Yoosung sat back and smiled. He remembered the day Saeran carved those in there. They were just eating and talking when Yoosung said he loved sitting at the table. Saeran said they should officially make it their table and took out his pocket knife. Yoosung was nervous and panicking that Saeran would get caught carving into the underside of the table, but no one saw. And they had sat at the table every time they ate there.

As Yoosung was lost in memories, Saeran sat across from him and set their food down. 

"So is this our old table?" He asked as he grabbed his burger.

"Yep! It has the carving in it and everything,"

"Wow? After all these years. That's pretty cool..." Saeran let his finger run over the carving under the table and a small smile.

They ate their food while talking and reminiscing about all the things they used to do when they hung out. It didn't take long for Yoosung to finish his food, but Saeran was a slow eater and took small bites. Yoosung didn't mind waiting for him. Once Saeran was done, Yoosung smiled.

"So, what do you want to do next?"

"Hmmm... I dunno." Saeran didn't really put much thought into it.

"Do you want to go to my house and watch movies? We could make popcorn too."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Saeran and Yoosung used to like having movie days or nights where they would get snacks and blankets and marathon a lot of movies.

They got up, discarded their food wrappers into the trash, and walked out of the Burger Queen, through the parking lot, and into Yoosung's car. Saeran hadn't seen Yoosung's new place before. The last time they hung out, he was close to finishing college. As the car came to a stop, Saeran's eyes widened a bit. It wasn't a mansion, but it was defiantly a nice house.

"You...live here?" Saeran asked.

"Yeah, it's not much, but it's home." He said as he got out of the car.

Saeran wasn't sure why he was so shocked. Yoosung has a nice car, of course, he would have a nice house too. He stepped out and walked behind Yoosung to the front door. Yoosung fumbled with his keys before unlocking his door and letting them in. It was nice, super nice. Saeran found his eyes wandering around the place until they fell on Yoosung's giant game collection.

"I knew it." He smirked.

"Huh?" Yoosung asked as he took his shoes off.

"I always knew you'd horde video games."

Yoosung blushed a bit. "Yeah, I guess you did call it. But Yun plays them too! The appropriate ones, I mean..."

Saeran laughed a bit as he took his shoes off. "Whatever you say." He teased.

"Should I get us some movie snacks?"

"Nah, I'm still full from Burger Queen."

Yoosung nodded and lead Saeran to the couch. As he looked for a movie, Saeran grabbed the blanket draped on the back of the couch. Once Yoosung put a movie on, he sat next to Saeran and Saeran draped the blanket over them both.

"So, what movie did you pick?" Saeran asked.

"A comedy."

Saeran smiled. They always either watched comedies or horrors. And if it was horror, Yoosung would snuggle up against him.

The two stayed quiet through the whole movie. Once the credits began to roll, Yoosung turned the movie off. 

"That was... nostalgic. I'm having so much fun hanging out with you. It makes me feel like I'm in my early twenties again."

Saeran rolled his eyes and laughed a bit, but Yoosung pouted a bit.

"I'm being serious, Saeran."

"I know, I know. It's just nice to hear that because I feel the same. Hanging out with you, like this, it brings so many great memories. Hanging out with you was the best times of my life. I... I really missed you, Yoosung."

"I missed you too...but you know, we haven't done _everything_ that we used to do. There is that one thing."

"Huh? .....Oh, yeah..."

Now both of their faces were pink. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Damn..." Saeran muttered before turning to Yoosung, cupping his cheeks, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Yoosung's eyes widened for a moment, before fluttering close. The kiss lasted a minute or so before they both slowly pulled away. They were both speechless. It took a moment until Yoosung spoke up.

"That..."

"Yeah..."

"I missed that."

"Me too..."

Memories of their first kiss came flooding back. They were just sitting around and Yoosung mentioned he was bummed out about not having a girlfriend. Saeran teased him for it as usual and Yoosung whined some more, adding that he had never been kissed either, so he was nervous for his first one. Saeran rolled his eyes, saying that first kisses were stupid and overrated. Yoosung asked if Saeran had ever been kissed, but he said no, but if Yoosung was so worried, they could practice on each other. Yoosung was a bit unsure, but Saeran said he didn't have to count it as his first kiss, it was just practice. Finally, Yoosung agreed and the two of them kissed. Both were flustered by it but also liked it a lot. And they had many more 'practice' kisses and 'practice' make out sessions after that, but they had kept it to themselves.

"Was that another practice kiss?" Saeran teased.

"Wha- No! Gah....I've kissed tons of people since then, I don't need to practice anymore." Yoosung said.

Saeran raised an eyebrow. "Tons of people?"

"Well...no. Only you and my Yun's mom..."

Saeran looked down at his own feet. "I see..."

Saeran never liked Yun's mom. She wasn't a bad person, but she was the reason Saeran and Yoosung stopped with their 'practices' and that always stuck with him. Yoosung had said it felt like cheating if they kept kissing while he dated her. Saeran never got mad at Yoosung for it. It wasn't like they were ever a couple, but he always turned down Yoosung's invites to meet her. He had only met her once or twice before she was out of the picture.

"....I missed that...k-kissing you." Yoosung said, breaking the silence.

Saeran was about to say that he did too, but the sound of Yoosung's phone ringing cut him off.

"Oh...I got to take this, sorry." Yoosung got up and walked into the kitchen, leaving Saeran dazed, surprised, and a little happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Ta-da!
> 
> I hope you all liked it.
> 
> Feel free to leave some feedback ad hopefully I can get the next chapter out in a few days.


End file.
